By Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch
MADRID (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures pointed to a wary
start for Wall Street on Thursday, after what most see as a more
hawkish view out of the Federal Reserve, which one strategist says
could usher in more volatility for markets.
Futures for the S&P 500 index (SPZ4) fell 6.3 points to
1,965.90, while those for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJZ4)
slipped 44 points to 16,880. Futures for the Nasdaq-100 index
(NDZ4) were off 13 points to 4,058.75.
Wall Street stocks finished with marginal losses on Wednesday
after the Fed put the final stage of quantitative easing to bed,
but surprised some with a more upbeat view on the labor market and
inflation. The Fed said it could raise interest rates sooner than
markets have forecast, if the economy expands faster than it
expects.
More volatility coming? Jim Reid, strategist at Deutsche Bank,
said the surprise was that the Fed chose to be so confident so soon
after the recent volatility. "Last night's statement would have
been near impossible to publish two weeks ago, so it is a bit of a
risk," he said in a note. Four reasons the market will rally for
the rest of 2014
"As a minimum, the Fed seem quite comfortable withdrawing
liquidity from the market, and with that, we continue to think that
bouts of volatility are more likely now than they were for most of
the two years that QE3 was in existence," said Reid. Economists
reactions to Fed statement: Signs of hawkishness
Investors will get a first look at the economy's third-quarter
performance Thursday, with data due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time
expected to show a 3% rise in annual gross domestic product.
Questions remain, though, on growth in the final three months of
the year. See preview
At the same time, weekly jobless claims will be released. Claims
stayed below 300,000 last week, something which has held for the
last six weeks.
MasterCard Inc. (MA) is expected to post third-quarter earnings
of 78 cents a share ahead of Wall Street's open. ConocoPhillips
(COP) and Kellogg Co.(K) are others that are due to report.
GoPro Inc.(GPRO)(GPRO) and LinkedIn(LNKD) report after the
market's close.
Shares of Visa Inc.(V) rose 3% in thin premarket trade after the
company's earnings and revenue beat forecasts.
Lakeland Industries Inc.(LAKE) was up another 37% in thin
premarket trade, following a big jump in late trade after the
hazmat-suit maker reported increased manufacturing capacity in
response to the Ebola crisis. Alpha Pro Tech Ltd.(APT) was up as
well, by around 8%.
Dollar up, gold slides: The dollar rose against the euro
(EURUSD) and the yen (USDJPY) -- briefly tapping its highest levels
since early October against the Japanese currency -- as investors
absorbed the Fed outcome. Gold(GCZ4) slid 1.7%, while crude-oil
prices(CLZ4) were off a full 1%.
European stocks pulled back, while Asian stocks saw mostly
moderate gains, outside of a 0.4% drop for Hong Kong's Hang Seng
Index .
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